Poison-tablet



C. T. DAVIS.

- POISON TABLET.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-20', 1920.

mbe/wboz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES I. DAVIS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

POISON-TABLET.

Application filed. January 20, 1920.

Z '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES T. DAVIS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Polson- Tablets, of which the following is a specification. 53

My invention relates to pharmaceutlcal and chemical preparations, and particularly to the provision of means for protection against accidental swallowing of such preparations.

For convenience, great many substances are put up in the form of small units, such as pills, lozenges, tablets and the like, and many of these units, which for convenlence will be referred to generally as tablets, are intended for internal use. It is, however, also the practice to put in tablet form sub stances which are not adapted for internal use, having an irritant or deleterious eii'ect if swallowed, and which will be generally referred to as poisonous. The similarity in form and appearance between these poison tablets and the common medicinal tablets has led to a great many accidents, due to swallowing the former by mistake. The danger is particularly great in connectlon with the type of poison tablet used for making antiseptic solutions, as such tablets are ordinarily composed of substances, such as bichlorid of mercury or potassium mercuric iodid, which are highly dangerous if taken internally.

Furthermore, the general use of such antiseptic tablets by doctors and others in cases of sickness where medicinal tablets are also likely to be present, and the common practice of keeping such antiseptic tablets in the same place with medicinal tablets, as in medicine closets, renders the danger of swallowing such antiseptic tablets by accident very substantial.

This danger is well-recognized, and nnmerous methods have been devised for avoiding it. One common method is the provision of a distinctive color, ordinarily a deep blue. Another is the forming of the tablets in a distinctive way to differentiate them in contour from the usual tablet forms. Both of these systems have been in effect for a long time, and neither is an adequate preventative of accidents, as they depend for their eflicacy upon a certain amount of voluntary attention on the part of the user. Conse- Spccification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

Serial No. 352,872.

quently, they do not protect against carelessness. Furthermore, the color method is lnoperative in the dark, when such accidents are likely to occur, and the form or" the tablet, unless so unusual as to be impractical from the point of manufacture and handling, is insufficient to compel the attention of the user, accustomed to a great variety of tablet shapes.

My invention includes the employment of means for attracting attention to the tablet when taken into the mouth, as the sensitiveness of the oral cavity practically assures the involuntary attention of the user to a tablet producing a strongly disagreeable impression upon the tongue, teeth or walls of the mouth; and a primary object of my in-' vention is to produce a tablet which will have a disagreeable eiiect oi this nature when placed in the mouth.

Such a tablet is also superior in warning effect to those depending for their eflicacy upon their characteristic color or shape for the further reason that, although medicinal tablets intended for internal use are manufactured in a great variety of colors and shapes, such tablets are almost universally flavored or coated to render them not unpleasant when taken into the mouth. Consequently, the attention of the careless user is attracted much more effectively by a disagreeable sensation in the mouth than by the characteristic color or appearance of a tablet.

My invention involves the incorporation of a gritty substance with the tablet to produce an unpleasant sensation when the tablet is taken into the mouth. This effect may be produced by contact oi the harsh grit with the tongue or walls, which, are extremely sensitive. However, an object of my invention is to utilize the extraordinary sensitiveness or" the teeth toward gritty material. It is well known that the presence of even a small amount of grit in food is promptly detected by the teeth and produces an extremely disagreeable sensation which compels attention and develops a tendency to expel the substance from the mouth. The same effects are produced by tablets made according to my invention, either through casual contact of the teeth with grit on the surface of the tablet or through biting or chewing the latter.

My invention will be effective even though the tablet is not bitten or chewed;

but as the great majority of medicinal tablets for internal use are intended-to be chewed, a person taking a poisonous tablet by mistake is almost certain to bite it. l/Vhen this occurs, the efi'ect of even a relatively small amount of fine, gritty material in the tablet will be so strong that the users at tention is inevitably attracted to the objectionable nature of the tablet, and a tendency to expel it from the mouth will be strong.

The gritty material may be incorporated in the tablets in any desired Way. If preferred, it may be mixed with the substance in substantially the same way as other ingredients; or it may be embedded in the surface of the tablet. Furthermore, the gritty material may be attached to the surface, either by suitable adhesive means, such as wax, or by incorporating it in a surfacing coating. When used in this manner, my invention is applicable totablets such as that disclosed in my pending application No. 305,172, in which the tabletis provided with a separate outer coating. I

One embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which the tablet body 11 is provided with a coating 12 carrying gritty particles 18.

While the gritty substance is preferably in. the form of small particles, the size of these particles may be varied greatly, depending upon the manner of incorporation thereof in the tablet. lVhen it is desired .to rely upon the surface efi'ect of the'tablet, it is desirable toemploy particles of sufficient size to produce a relatively rough, gritty surface having a ready effect upon the oral cavity, and particularly the teeth; while if the effect of biting or chewing is solely relied on, the gritty substance may be as finely divided as desired.

Any desired substance may be employed which can be incorporated'with the tablets and which possesses a gritty quality when in contact with the teeth. The substance preferably is usedin the form of rough, hard particles. The rock forming minerals provide suitable material, clean sand made from such minerals being adapted for the.

stances varying greatly in chemical com .position but well known as being gritty being in general proportional to the amount used and the hardness and sharpness of the gritty particles.

It will be apparent that my invention does not require any substantial change in the well-established methods and processes for making tablets. hen the gritty material is incorporated throughout the tablet, it may be added in the usual way of adding tablet ingredients dur'mg mixing. 'Vhen it is applied to the surface of the tablet, ordinary tumbling machines can be employed. My invention, however, is not limited to the application of the gritty substance by such methods.

lVhile I have described the preferred form of my invention and indicated certain variations therein, it will be apparent that many other changes may be made within the scope of my invention as set forth in this specification.

I claim:

1. A poison tablet carrying a gritty substance adapted to act as a warning of the nature of the tablet.

7. A poison tablet including a body por- CHARLES T. DAVIS.

and 

